


don't let me go (cause I'm tired of feeling alone)

by theyeetomyhawhawhaw



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Adoption, Adults, Baby Harry Styles, Boyfriends, Children, Established Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson, Fluff, Growing Up Together, Harry Styles Loves Louis Tomlinson, Innocent Harry, Innocent Louis, LGBTQ Character, LGBTQ Character of Color, LGBTQ Themes, Larry Stylinson Is Real, Late Night Writing, Louis Tomlinson Calls Harry Styles Pet Names, Louis Tomlinson Loves Harry Styles, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Married Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson, No Angst, No Smut, Non-Famous Harry, Non-Famous Louis Tomlinson, Parents Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson, Teenagers, i hope i do this headcannon justice, larry stylinson - Freeform, mentions of lottie - Freeform, no beta we die like men, one mention of lottie to be exact, purely cuteness, sorry - Freeform, taken from a headcannon, the other boys aren't mentioned a lot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-08
Updated: 2020-02-08
Packaged: 2021-02-27 23:53:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,723
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22544338
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theyeetomyhawhawhaw/pseuds/theyeetomyhawhawhaw
Summary: Basically a one-shot I wrote based off the headcannon :") This fic follows H and L and the advancement of their relationship as they grow up with one another. Link for the headcannon is in notes!
Relationships: Anne Cox & Louis Tomlinson, Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson, Jay Tomlinson & Anne Twist, Louis Tomlinson & Gemma Styles, Niall Horan & Zayn Malik & Liam Payne & Harry Styles & Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik/Liam Payne
Comments: 4
Kudos: 48





	don't let me go (cause I'm tired of feeling alone)

**Author's Note:**

> Wow, so I stumbled upon this headcannon and thought that it would really be a shame if I didn't try to write it out. I really hope I did a good job :") I'm really sorry, but the other boys won't really be in this fic much :( I also apologise if there are any mistakes - I wrote this at 12am ho ho. The link to the headcannon is https://www.instagram.com/p/B7GHV7kl8Mf/ 
> 
> Warnings: small (teeny-weeny) bit of homophobia! This is mainly a Louis-comforts-Harry and more Louis-centric, sort of? Anygay, hope you enjoy the story!! Please don't repost any of my works on other platforms thank you :)

Ever since he could remember, Louis Tomlinson had always wanted a sibling - someone to play with, mess around with and well... just _be_ with. Endless pestering and whining always ended with his blushing mother telling him, "Now's not the right time, honey" and his dad giving him a fond smile. The poor two-year-old would sit before their television screen and watch on enviously as the cartoon characters hugged their younger siblings, an evident pout playing on his features. Yet, when his closest friend ended up with a baby brother, Louis couldn't find it in him to actually be jealous. Instead of crying for another playmate, young Tomlinson would follow his mother around, holding up his favourite plush toy and asking to see the baby - or what he called, the "bebeh", with his high-pitched accented child voice. Don't get him wrong, Gemma was a wonderful friend and one of his closest too, but Louis just didn't feel like they had reached "best friends" standard, and if he was being honest, he didn't think they ever would. Gemma had other friends, anyway. 

Six days after the birth of the youngest Styles, Jay had been invited over, and of course, Louis trailed along. 

He gave a toothy grin to Anne and Gemma, bringing up his plush toy for everyone to admire. And of course, they indulged him. 

"Lou, you wanna' see the baby?" Gemma had asked, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed as she held out her hand for Louis to hold. The toddler gave an excited squeal, trotting after the girl, both mothers following closely behind. The nursery door opened with a small creak, and a small lump of blankets in the cot squirmed around, a tiny noise escaping the mass. Gemma brought him closer, and he clutched onto the turtle toy tighter. 

Louis cocked his head to the side, staring at the smushy pink object that wriggled every few minutes. "He doesn't look like car'oon, mama." The boy sniffed, inhaling the oddly comforting scent of baby powder and shampoo. Louis pointed, "He looks funny." Gemma let out a small giggle as Anne grinned fondly, leaning comfortably against the doorway.

Jay tsked, though her tiny grin gave away her faked-annoyance, "Louis, that isn't a nice thing to say. He looks perfect, dear."

The two-year-old shrugged, dropping his shoulders up and down as he continued to stare at the six-day-old. "He smells nice," 

Everyone in the room let out a soft laugh, mindful of the sleeping baby. Louis stared up at his mother, eyebrows drawing into a frown. The adults laughed at him a lot - on one hand, it had been nice to be the center of attention, but on the other, Louis wasn't quite sure he enjoyed it completely. When no one noticed his slight discomfort, the toddler let his gaze wander around the pastel green room, eventually landing back on the boy. 

"D'you wanna' touch his skin, Lou? Mama says it's soft because he's new," Gemma whispered, as if it was a secret meant for him and him only. 

Louis gaped, nodding. His mother had alwaystold him _he_ was the one with the softest skin on the whole world, and so what if he was feeling a little bit competitive about the title bestowed upon him? He peered between the bars of the cot, lips parted as he stared at the squirming baby, eyes clenched shut and a tiny hint of drool escaping the corner of his mouth. Louis gingerly slid his right hand between the bars, index finger stretched out as he gingerly poked at the rosy skin of the baby's opened palm. 

Harry let out a soft noise, eyelashes fluttering as his fingers clenched and unclenched, eventually wrapping tightly around Louis'. 

Louis didn't think he'd ever let go. 

~

"Harry, c'mon!" 

The toddler let out a pout, wild curls bouncing as he ran to catch up with his family, staring hard at his baby blue shoes to avoid tripping over the uneven pavement. Gemma let out another impatient huff, stopping to rest her hands on her hips - something she watched her friends do when they got mad. "Harry!" She cried out exasperatedly, stomping her foot. "You're taking _forever_! By the time we get to the playground, the swings will be all snatched up! And it'll be _your fault_!"

Harry sniffled, rubbing his hand over his nose. "'m sorry," he mumbled, stopping a good six feet away from his older, mildly-irritated, sister. Anne let a soft sigh, bringing a hand down to card her fingers through Gemma's hair, only for the latter to bat it away. "C'mon, Gem, cut your brother some slack, alright? He isn't as fast as you are."

"But I want to play on the swings!" The seven-year-old whined, sounding dangerously close to throwing a fit. 

Anne glanced over the children, inclusive of Louis, whom she had to babysit while his parents were out of town for a business trip. 

The five-year-old - "almost six!" as he'd argue - toddled up to the three-year-old's side, wrapping a protective arm around Harry's small, caved-in shoulders. "'sokay, Auntie Anne - you can go with Gemma first! I'll walk with 'arry," Louis grinned, ruffling the younger boy's curls fondly and taking pride in the way a giggle erupted from the once-pouting lips of Harry. 

"I'm not sure I should leave you two alone, boys."

"I'll take care of us, I promise! I'm almost six, Auntie Anne - I'm all grown up!" The boy boasted, puffing his chest out and tilting his chin up, proud grin on full display.

Gemma gave her mother's hand a firm tug. 

Anne cracked a grin. "Alright, tell you boys what - I'll walk ahead with Gemma but I'll check up on you two occasionally, alright? Please don't stray too far away from the both of us, yeah?"

"Yup!" Louis chirped, popping the 'p' and laughing when Harry mimicked him, grinning towards his mother. 

The woman gave both boys a meaningful look before taking her daughter's hand, whistling lightly as Gemma skipped off, practically dragging her along the pathway. Louis frowned, prodding a finger at Harry's dimple. "Haz, you have a hole in your cheek. Do you feel okay? Does it hurt? D'you want me to shout for Auntie Anne? Mama says my voice is loud."

Harry let out another squeal of delight, pushing his best friend's finger away. "It doesn't hurt Lou, don't worry," the toddler grinned, still unable to pronounce his 'r's properly. "Momma says that I have a dimple - she thinks it makes my smile look better... Gemma thinks it makes me look weird, even though she has them too." Harry fiddled with the zipper of his jacket, suddenly feeling very, _very_ , insecure of his muscle defect. "You don't think it makes me look funny, d-do you?"

Louis pretended to ponder on the question, jutting out his lower lip in mock concentration before breaking into laughter, much to the surprise and dread that was quicky filling Harry's tiny body. "Never, 'arry!" The (almost) six-year-old grinned, crinkles appearing by his eyes as he smiled big and wide. "You'd always look handsome to me; my perfect little Hazza." Louis cooed, rejoicing in the warm blush that swarmed Harry's cheeks. 

"Boys! Let's get a move on!" Anne's voice called from a distance. 

The older boy smiled, reaching a hand down for Harry and gesturing for him to take it. 

Harry beamed back, dimples on display (yet again) as he made a grab for Louis' index finger, wrapping his own fingers around it tightly. 

"I saw this from a show mama watched with papa," Louis giggled, as if he had did something he wasn't supposed to do. (He was a rather cheeky boy and Harry _adored_ him for it.) "In that show, the boy lets a girl hold his hand and they walked through the park together, with orange leaves falling all around them. It was so pretty," the boy sighed happily, leading Harry down the path and towards Anne and Gemma's waiting figures. 

"One day, that's gonna' be you and me, Haz."

~

The blue school bag rested uncomfortably on Harry's shoulder and the boy yearned to just rip it off and chuck it aside. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to - firstly, he was on the pavement and it'd be terribly inconsiderate of him to do so; and secondly, that particular shade of blue had reminded him of _somebody's_ eyes, which had been the reason as to why he begged for his mother to buy it in the first place. "Scared?" Louis asked from beside him, a small all-knowing smirk playing on his lips, eyes shining with familiar mischief.

Harry scoffed, sweeping his curls out of his eyes. "It's just school, Lou - there's nothing to be scared of." 

"Tell that to your trembling frame," Gemma snorted, sucking on her lollipop as she typed away on her phone - much to Anne's displeasure because "watch where you're stepping, Gem!". Harry rolled his eyes, pouting moodily as the high school gates started to loom closer and closer. He felt his mother's warm, reassuring hand on his head of curls, instantly relaxing into the touch. 

The small group slowed to a stop a little ways before the entrance, watching the stream of students flooding in. Anne knelt down before her son, fondly rearranging his tie and pressing a kiss to his slightly sweaty forehead. "Everything's gonna' turn out just fine, Harry. You're gonna' love it here, I promise." Before Harry could open his mouth to answer, Gemma squealed loudly, pointing excitedly to a group of girls who were frantically waving back. She rushed out a quick goodbye - that sounded like "byemombyeharrybyeloubyeauntiejay" - before blowing kisses to their small group, skipping across the compound to tackle her friends in the biggest, most entangled group hug Harry had ever seen. 

"What if I can't find any friends? I don't want to be friendless," the boy sniffled, blinking sadly up at his mother. 

Louis scoffed, slapping Harry's arm playfully. "What do you mean _friendless_? You're forgetting the fact that I attend this school too, curly." He tilted his head indignantly, huffing in mock anger that made the younger boy's heart clench in an oddly good way. Harry let out a little giggle, planting a kiss on Louis' cheek before burying his head into the crook of the boy's neck - something they had always done to comfort and reassure each other.

"I mean _apart_ from you, Lou. I won't be making any new friends. One friend won't be enough to help me get through my classes,"

"One friend won't be enough," Louis agreed, tilting his head. "But _I am_. I can get you through this whole school year, just watch me, Styles." 

Anne and Jay chuckled at the boys' exchanging of words. Both of them shared a look with each other before Jay leaned down, pecking Louis' head. "You boys better hurry on in - don't want to be late on the first school day of the year, yeah?" Harry and Louis widened their eyes, nodding furiously as they kissed their respective mothers goodbye. Louis rushed to Anne's side, tugging on her sleeve and whispering into her ear, "Don't worry, Auntie Anne - I'll make sure Harry's safe," before bounding away, hand outstretched by his side.

The younger boy grinned, dimpling his cheeks as he accepted the hand, holding on to a particular finger as they braved the mass of bodies. 

Together. 

~

_Knock knock knock._

Harry inhaled shakily. 

_Knock knock knock._

"Harry?"

No reply. 

Louis tried again. "Haz, I know you're in there - I can see your socks." He currently had his face smushed against the smooth flooring of his home, peering into tiny gap between the door and floor. (Like a total creep, he _knows_.)

Still no reply. 

The older boy hummed, standing up and rapping against the door, faster this time. "Haz, you gotta' let me in - I need to take a wee!" He made his voice go high, hopping around on the spot to make it seem like he _really_ needed the loo, just to sell the idea to his friend, whom he knew cared too much to ignore Louis' pleas. Five seconds later, there was the clicking of the lock and the door swung open to reveal a red-eyed and flushed Harry, sniffling. Tear tracks stained his rosy cheeks.

Louis' heart clenched and he reached out. 

"Oh, Harry," 

The green-eyed boy moved away, swiping furiously at his eyes. "I can't believe I got tricked by that," he mumbled angrily, making a move to re-enter the loo before being cut off by Louis, who took him by the arm and brought him to his room, closing the door firmly. Louis sat them both down on his bed, cradling the nine-year-old close to his chest, letting a soft sigh against the nape of Harry's neck as the heater blew a gust of warm air at them. He hummed a low tune, aimlessly drawing patterns on the younger boy's clothed back, waiting for him to open up.

Harry always told Louis everything.

"I feel really dumb sometimes," the curly-haired boy mumbled, voice muffled by the pillow - _Louis'_ pillow - he had been hugging close to his chest. 

"Yeah?"

Harry grunted, "Yeah. I can't write properly. Mrs. Smith says she can't tell the difference between my 'r's, 'u's, 'v's and 'n's. She failed my writing practice, a-and I've never failed anything before."

_Oh Jesus._

Louis let out a half-annoyed scoff, pressing his body impossibly closer to Harry's. "She taught me last year too; that old hag fails everyone, I tell ya'."

"Louis!" Harry let out a startled noise, not bothering to suppress his giggles of amusement. He turned around, burying his face into Louis' chest. "You can't say that; it's a bad word." 

The older boy rolled his eyes, resting his head in Harry's mess of curls as he inhaled the whiff of watermelon and cherry shampoo. He huffed, "I can say anything around you, you're my best friend, Haz." Harry let out a snort, pulling away to study the boy's sharp features. 

"I'm your best friend, huh? Who would've thought - considering you've spent almost every minute with _Stan_ ; I'd be surprised if you two weren't joined by the hip by now." He couldn't help the bitter tone that seeped into his words. Louis' widened comically as a sharp cackle escaped his mouth, prompting him to _attempt_ to stifle his giggles. Harry, on the other hand, completely disagreed with the boy's outburst, claiming vehemently, "'s'not funny, Lou."

The older boy shook his head, gazing imploringly down at Harry. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but you sound awfully jealous, Haz." He laughed, running a hand through his fringe. Harry rolled his eyes, the faint blush on his cheeks telling Louis all he needed to know. "'salright, 'arry. Stan's a close friend of mine, and I'll admit that I'm really fond of him, but you and me? We're best friends till the end of time, yeah?"

Harry shot him a lopsided grin, "Will you be with me 'til the end of the line, Lou?"

He caught on to his reference fairly easy. Louis laughed, rolling his eyes endearingly. "Depends if you're gonna' be doing anything stupid when I leave you alone,"

"How can I - you're gonna' be taking all the stupid with you." And so what if they tweaked the quotes to fix the context of their situation more?

"Twat," Louis laughed, whacking Harry over the head gently with no real malice behind his words. "Yes, Haz, I'll be the Bucky to your Steve - always there to protect you from those pompous oafs you like picking up fights with."

"Pinkie promise?"

A small smile settled over Louis' features as he hooked his pinkie with Harry's, pressing the pad of their thumbs together, eventually sealing their promise by touching their tips of their index fingers. (It was like playing Twister with their fingers for Christ's sake.) Both boys settled into a comfortable silence, with Harry cuddling closer to Louis, until the younger boy spoke, voice thick with sleep. "It's your birthday soon, Lou," Harry said through a yawn, pressing his head into Louis' chest. "What'dya want? I'll buy it for you,"

"You're getting me a present with your savings?" Louis questioned, eyebrows raised in amusement. 

Harry, however, only scoffed. "That's what best friends do, Louis."

And they were, in fact, the very best of friends. 

~

"Haz, you're zoning out again. You alright?"

Sure, being fourteen-years-old wasn't easy - believe him, Louis had lived that hell of a year down - but Harry seemed to be coping well with studies and he had always been surrounded by his group of friends in school. To the blue-eyed boy, his bestie seemed to be doing just fine - remarkably well, even, considering the straight As and awards he had been getting - but he still couldn't shake the feeling that something else was bothering Harry. Staring off into space at random intervals and listening to _emo music (namely Panic! At the disco)_ didn't seem like a very "Harry Styles" thing to do. 

Louis tried again, poking at the pale skin. "'arry, you're creeping me out, mate."

"That's all I ever do, innit?" The boy snarked, tossing in a small scoff. " _Creep_ people out." Harry hissed, flinching violently away from the older boy, drawing his arm back to himself and cradling it, as if Louis' touch had burned him. 

The boy furrowed his eyebrows. "I- I don't understand you right now, Haz. Do you want to talk to me about it?" He reached out again, noticing Harry visibly stiffen before freezing his outstretched arm, slowing drawing it back to himself and hoping the hurt hadn't registered on his face.

Harry kept still and silent, gazing unflinchingly at the window. 

"Alright, Haz. Just remember this is a safe place, yeah?"

The boy made a noise at the back of his throat, nose stinging as he inhaled shallow breaths. In, out; in, out. 

Louis toed at the carpeted floor, standing up and staring at their discarded pile of homework. "Right, I'm gonna' go use the loo and give you some time to yourself, alright?"

He caught sight of the tiniest nod of Harry's head, staring for a beat too long as the boy worried his lower lips between his teeth. Louis let out a soft sigh, taking his phone with him as he turned around, receiving a notification from his mother. The boy stopped, taking his time to type a message back to her, reassuring her that he was at Harry's, and secretly not-so-subconsciously hoping that sending that one message would buy him enough time for Harry to come around. 

Louis' prayers were answered.

"Lou?"

Harry's voice was shaky, sounding as if he was about to go into a full-blown panic attack. Louis tossed his phone carelessly on Harry's study table, cringing as he heard the telltale thud of it hitting somewhere else other than its intended landing spot as he turned slowly, settling onto the floor in front of the distressed boy. "I'm scared," Harry admitted, biting his lower lip so hard that he would be surprised if he _didn't_ draw blood. "I'm so bloody scared, Lou."

He hadn't noticed he had been crying until Louis' thumb brushed across his cheek, catching his tears and wiping them away gently, feather-light touch dancing across his flushed skin. "Hey, hey, don't cry," the older boy whispered, caressing Harry's cheek. "Don't cry, Hazza. You're okay; you're gonna' be just fine, yeah?"

"M-my class has been talking a lot about... g-gays," Harry lowered his voice, saying the last word so softly that Louis had to _really_ strain his ears to hear him. "They've been... saying things like how wrong they were."

Louis let out a soft sigh, resting his right hand atop Harry's and letting the boy grip onto it tightly, as if he had been the anchor pulling him down to Earth. 

Harry sniffled, swiping at his falling tears with his free hand. "I don't think that it's w-wrong, Lou. Everybody deserves to love freely, regardless of their sexuality, r-right?"

The older boy nodded in agreement, using his thumb to aimlessly draw reassuring circles on the back of Harry's hand. "It's great that you think that way, Haz - everyone should be given equal rights to love whoever they want. Unfortunately, some people will disagree with that, but it's fine, yeah? Like how people are free to love, people are free to have their opinions too. What matters is that we _respect_ each other's perspectives on things and not force our way of thinking onto others."

Harry nodded, sniffling. "Louis," he whispered, voice cracking. "I think I'm bi." Fresh tears started to well up as he continued, clutching Louis' hand harder and practically cutting off the older boy's blood circulation. "What if they find out and start bullying me? What's mom and Gem gonna' do? D-do you mind that I'm n-not st-straight?" He hiccuped, staring desperately into Louis' eyes, anxious green ones meeting soft blue.

"Of course I won't mind, Harry." Louis whispered, pulling the boy into an embrace and sighing gently as Harry curled into him, their hands still somehow remaining clasped between them. "I'm sure Anne and Gemma won't either," the boy reassured, puffing his chest a little, "and if anyone dares bully you, they've got a death wish coming 'cause Tommo's gonna' whoop their arses."

The curly-haired boy let out an endearingly cute giggle through his sniffles, pressing himself closer to Louis' warm body. "Really?"

"'course, 'arry. There's nothing to be scared of, not while I'm here." 

Harry hummed, tears drying. "So, you're saying you'll protect me?"

Louis smirked. "Obviously, Harry. No harm's gonna' come your way and you can bet _the_ Tommo - yours truly - be right here to fend it off."

Then quieter, as an afterthought and childhood flashback, the older boy whispered, "I'll protect _my perfect little Hazza_."

~

It was official that Louis disliked puberty. 

No, scratch that, Louis _loathed_ it with a burning passion.

Ever since Harry hit adolescence, he had shot up, outgrowing his jeans every few weeks. Okay, so maybe that was an exaggeration, but for a period of time, Louis had genuinely been worried that Harry would grow so tall, his small house wouldn't be able to accommodate him anymore. Sure, Harry being taller meant that Louis could finally be little spoon without it ever being awkward, but the problem was - _Harry_ was the little spoon. Yes, they were versatile (as they called it) and often switched it up, but Louis slept a little better knowing Harry was safe in his arms and, well, Harry slept well whenever he was with Louis.

The older boy missed the times when he would purposefully hold something above his head and watch with glee as Harry would jump to retrieve it back. Now, though, _he_ was the one who had to tiptoe to steal a kiss from his boyfriend.

Oh, how the times have changed. ( _Just how fast the night changes~_ )

"You're pouting again," Harry pointed out, peeling his banana. 

"And you're hallucinating again," Louis snapped his head toward the boy, frowning at the wrinkles on his suit. He moved over, smoothing it out. "Honestly, how do you expect to be Prom King if you can't even iron your suit properly?"

The younger boy rolled his eyes, taking another large bite of the fruit. "It's only to celebrate the completion of our Year Eleven exams, Lou. 'snot that important to me, yeah?"

Louis scoffed, tilting his head indigently as he peered at Harry, raising an eyebrow and waiting for him to challenge his stand on the importance of _any_ school event - especially prom. He turned to the mirror, weaving an expert hand through his quiff. "Well, I'm going as your date, and I would not like to be known as the date of someone who showed up looking like he'd just woke up, thank you very much." Harry sported a cheeky grin, binning the banana peel as he sauntered over to the smaller boy, wrapping his strong arms around his waist. The blue-eyed boy let out a squeak at the warm puff of air that tickled the area below his ear. 

"You love me," he murmured haughtily, pressing a soft kiss to the nape of Louis' neck. 

"Keep that up, Styles, and I might just go on a date with Stan tonight and ditch you."

He watched from the mirror as Harry's nostrils flared, fish-mouthing as he thought of something to rebuke. "You'd never," Harry exhaled, shooting Louis an incredulous look. The older boy shrugged, untangling himself from Harry as he fished his phone out of his pocket, whistling as he scrolled down his contacts list and found Stan's name, thumb hovering over the call button. 

"Lou, please don't,"

Louis grinned cheekily, raising his phone tauntingly as he clicked call and placed it on speaker, listening to the phone ringing. "You've gotta' catch me first, Hazza!" He squealed, making a run for it as Harry lunged for him, long legs propelling him forward. The blue-eyed boy let another giggle fall freely from his lips as he raced around the house, weaving his way through, only surrounded by the sound of the phone ringing, his throbbing heartbeat and the steady footfalls of Harry. Alas, the game was cut short when Louis made the fatal mistake of circling back into Harry's bedroom, startling at the realisation that it was a dead end and the only exit was being blocked by a panting, triumphant Harry. 

The boy whipped around, attempting to dart across and squeeze between the door frame and Harry when strong arms enveloped him, causing him so squeal as he writhed around, overcome by bouts of giggles. Harry let out a mock cry of victory, carrying Louis to the bed where he proceeded to tickle the boy into handing the phone to him. His fingers dug deep into Louis' side, enclicting another giggle from the older boy. His grip on the phone loosened and Harry smirked, cancelling the call before placing the phone on his nightstand, sitting back on his haunches. "Sometimes, I really wonder who's the mature one in this relationship."

Louis shot him a lopsided grin, face still red. "Definitely you, Haz."

Harry snorted, stretching out beside his boyfriend and cuddling close to his side. "Love you," he muttered, leaning forward to peck Louis' lips, letting his hand caress the boy's soft cheek. 

"Love you more, Harry." The blue-eyed boy sighed against his lips, pulling away and getting up, dusting himself off before smoothing out Harry's suit (which may or may not have gotten even worse than before). "Now, how 'bout we get to prom and win Best Couple of the Night?"

Harry nodded, following Louis out of the house and onto the pavement.

They walked, hand in hand, taking a shortcut through the park where the orange leaves fell steadily.

~

"Oh my God, I did _not_ think this through," Louis cried out, tugging at his mess of a hair. "Oh God, this is going to flop and Harry's going to break up with me, and I'll have to live by myself, all alone without Harry Edward Styles to accompany me until I die! Oh God, oh God, oh Go-"

"Louis! Hey, chill man," Niall whistled, announcing his presence as he lifted a bottle of red wine. "Harry's gonna' love this." He surveyed the decor of the rented beach house, nodding in approval of the rose petals strewn across the mahogany table, candles ready to be lit.

Zayn scoffed, slinging an arm around his friend's shoulder. "Besides, nothing could be worse than when Liam tried to propose," he snorted, sending his fiancé a wink. "He originally wanted to spell out the words with rose petals, but Marley ended up eating half of them and covered our bed in drool." Liam grumbled something under his breath about how he should've set the dog fence up, startling Louis to check that Bruce and Clifford were leashed to the other connecting door, just outside the room. They were playing an _important part_ of his plan, and if they ran off... well, then he might as well start digging his grave. 

"But, moral of the story, I still agreed to marry that dork." The man laughed. "Everything will work out fine, Lou - even if everything possible went wrong, Harry'd still say yes,"

"Honestly, I can't tell if that was meant to reassure me or stress me out even more," Louis whispered dryly, reaching for his tenth glass of water. 

Liam let out a fond sigh, staring at the wine glasses. "It's up to you to see that my proposal dreams come true then, Tommo. I have utmost faith in y-"

"Harry's coming!" Niall's shrill voice sounded from his post by the window. "Harry's coming! I repeat, the package is here! Code Red! Code Red!"

Louis jolted out of his seat, forcing himself to take deep breaths as he peered out the window. True enough, he spotted the lanky man walking towards the house, whistling as his curls blew around in the ocean breeze. " _Shit_ ," the boy breathed, fumbling around his pockets for the velvet box. Niall, Liam and Zayn walked over to him, party poppers in hand. "You've got this Lou, we'll be rooting for you at the back. Release the dogs on your cue, yeah?"

He nodded tensely. 

The boys retreated, excitedly talking among themselves. Louis shook his head, running his hand through his hair and doing his best to style it properly. _Right, there's nothing to be afraid of, Tommo - just act casual._ His plan to act normal failed. The first thing Harry noticed was that Louis was acting _anything_ but casual. He kept crossing and uncrossing his legs before standing up to hug him a little too tightly, his smile tight-lipped and definitely not reassuring at all. "Are you alright, babe? You seem very... out-of-it."

"Of course I'm alright!" Louis squeaked, jumping away from the taller man. "Why wouldn't I be? Ha ha, that would be _hilarious_ , wouldn't it?" 

Harry raised an eyebrow, forehead creasing in worry. "You sure?" When Louis didn't give him an exact reply, too busy chewing at his lower lip, the boy sighed, running a hand through his curls. He knew better than to push his boyfriend. "What'cha cooking, Lou? It smells good,"

Louis let out a sigh of relief, sagging so much that Harry swore he could see the tension seep out of his boyfriend's frame. "Thanks, love," the blue-eyed boy smiled softly, crinkles appearing by his eyes. "'m cooking the first meal I made by myself,"

"Chicken stuffed with mozzarella, wrapped in Parma ham, served with a side of homemade mash," both boys chorused, Harry giving Louis a warm smile, dimpling his cheeks. The younger boy was positively glowing as he pressed a quick kiss to Louis' slightly parted lips as a way of showing his appreciation. "Take a seat, love," Louis hummed, pulling out a chair for Harry to sit on, hands trembling far lesser than they were five minutes ago. "I'll go get the food." He ducked out of the dining room and into the fancy kitchen, sagging against the island counter and pulling out his phone to text Liam a simple "cue". (Because he had to give the boys a cue and what better cue than the word _cue_? Do bear in mind that he is _the_ Louis William Tomlinson.)

A sharp cry of surprise and giggles alerted Louis of the boys' job well done. He briefly heard Harry cooing at Clifford before calling out Bruce's name amidst a fit of laughter. Louis peeped around the corner, watching giddily as the labradoodle strode up to Harry, handing him a crumpled piece of paper with Louis' messy scrawl on it. Good lad.

_Dear Harold, five years ago, I asked you to be my boyfriend and we kissed under the twinkling stars, digging our toes into the sand. Today, I wish to the same with you - this time, bringing our relationship to another level. I love you a lot._

_P.s. Brucey has another note for you, love._

Louis heard the sharp intake of air before Harry was hoarsely calling out for Bruce. There was a faint sound of rustling paper before everything fell silent again. 

_Dear Hazza, I feel like it is of utmost importance that you know how much you mean to me. If you're willing to let me shower you with all the praises I know, would you kindly meet me in the kitchen? Our meal is waiting for you too, darling._

Louis held his breath, gripping the velvet box tightly as he shoved it back into his pocket, closing his eyes and breathing deeply. There was the familiar footfalls of Harry, and when Louis opened his eyes again, he was there, standing in all his divine beauty. "Hey Haz," the blue-eyed boy smiled nervously, beckoning for Harry to come closer to him, stretching out his hand for him to take. Harry hurried over in three quick strides, placing himself firmly in front of Louis. 

He could see the telltale signs of his watery eyes.

"Harry," Louis said, voice wobbling as he took his boyfriend's hands in his. "I think you know what I'm getting at," he let out a soft laugh, squeezing Harry's hands. "You've been my best friend since you were... well, six days old. I remember crying with you, laughing with you, dozing off with you, cuddling with you, watching the telly with you, arguing with you, making up with you, cooking with you - even though _you're_ the one cooking and I'm the one trying not to burn down the kitchen - studying with you, walking with you, playing with you, spending every waking minute with you, falling with you and getting cuts and bruises with you; but most importantly, I remember falling _for_ you.

"Harry, you've always been so unbearably dorky and adorable, and I've always been overly-protective of you; even when my two-year-old brain could _never_ have dreamed of ever being with the potato-faced baby I met, I always had this urge to make sure that you were alright." Louis shot him a cheeky, watery-eyed grin. "You are my Sun, like how I am your anchor. I remember feeling jealous that you'd spend more time with anyone else but me, I remember purposely spending more time with Stan to get a reaction out of you, and I remember feeling such immense joy when you came out to me. All those things had never exactly made sense to me, and when I tell you my brain had a seizure when I realised what was happening to me, I'm not exaggerating the slightest bit." He laughed self-deprecatingly, drawing out a low, breathless huff from Harry. 

"When I realised I had an unbelievably _huge_ crush on my best friend," Louis continued, throwing in a little shrug, "I actually lost my footing and tumbled off the ladder to Lottie's bunk bed. But it just made sense to me, you know? When I realised that you where _t_ _he one_ , I was more relieved than anything - though surprise came in close second. I always knew that we had something unique - something that made us _H_ _arry and Louis_. Harry, when you agreed to be my boyfriend - finally, officially _mine_ , in sense - I had been so happy, I was sure I would actually fly. That time, our roles were reversed - you were the anchor chaining me to Earth, to be forever by your side; and I felt like the Sun - watching your face light up because of well... me, _us_.

"Harry Styles, believe me when I say I want you by my side forever and ever."

Louis took an unsteady breath, squeezing Harry's hand one more time before releasing them, drawing out the box from his pocket and shakily getting one knee. He looked up hopefully at him, anxious blue eyes meeting teary green ones. "Harry Edward Styles, would you like to make me the happiest man in the entire universe by giving me your hand in marriage? Will you marry me?"

The box opened to reveal a simple yet elegant topaz ring. 

It was as if time wanted to play Cupid, too.

Everything appeared in slow motion, the deafening ringing in Louis' ears becoming almost unbearable as he watched Harry nod his head, tears rolling down his flushed cheeks. The older boy leapt up, gently slipping the ring onto Harry's finger and pressing a soft kiss there to seal it. Louis' lips brushed Harry's hand, "Thank you."

Harry let out a small hiccup, burying his head into the crook of Louis' neck as the older boy encircled his arms around his waist, squeezing tightly. "I love you so much, Lou." He merely flinched as the party poppers went off, clutching Louis tighter as they became showered in falling strings of confetti, surrounded by the cheers and whoops of their closest friends. 

Later, as they strolled across the lapping waves, basking underneath the night sky and winking stars, Harry's ring glinting whenever the moonlight reflected off it at the perfect angle, their fingers still remained tightly intertwined.

~

Gwendolyn (Gwen) Styles-Tomlinson had striking blue eyes a few shades darker than Louis' and a head of dark auburn hair that fell around her head in loose ringlets. 

The couple never really intended to have children this early on into their blissful marriage. Sure, both Harry and Louis loved children and wanted to adopt some time in the future, but neither of them really expected Gwen. Harry had received a call from the orphanage they volunteered at, asking him to help watch over the new baby and well, things clicked... _really well_. Being parents were - in lack of a better word - busy; though both boys had a schedule... sort of.

Which explained why when Harry woke up to the sound of crying at four in the morning, he rolled over, sitting up lazily and rubbing his eyes, yawning. The spot beside him was still warm, but empty. Harry stifled another yawn, getting up unsteadily and trudging his way to the nursery, stopping by the door frame when he spotted Louis back-facing him, shoulders hunched over. 

"Shh, shh," Louis whispered, nosing Gwen's curls and peppering kisses across her face in an attempt to calm her down. "We're gonna' wake daddy up, and he's had a long day, yeah? You're alright, love, everything's fine,"

Gwen gave a slight hiccup and a sniffle, frowning up at Louis' stubble. 

"That's it, love," the blue-eyed boy hummed, rocking his arms and watching as Gwen's eyelids started to flutter. Louis felt the small couch dip as a figure - no doubt Harry - took a seat beside him, shifting slightly so he could lay his head on Harry's shoulder. He yawned, tucking himself closer to Harry, feeling the slight tickle of his curls at the nape of his neck.

Harry let out a soft coo, bringing his index finger to the baby's cheek and letting it hover, tickling the soft skin and causing the girl to squeal, stirring once again. 

"C'mon, Haz, it took me an hour to get her to sleep and now you're waking her up again, you heathen," Louis whined, headbutting Harry's arm as Gwen let out another delighted giggle. The younger boy cooed again, turning to face Louis with a proud smirk on his face. He grinned, leaning forward to peck the pout off Louis' lips, much to Louis' squawk of "Not in front of the baby, 'arry!"

Gwen let out a small whine, claiming the attention of both her fathers as she tugged at Harry's index finger, her tiny fingers still unable to wrap around its width. She clutched on, even as Harry started to sing to her and coo at her, or even when Louis started to gently cradle her close to him. "I don't think she'd ever let go," Harry laughed, amused as she continued to squeeze his finger, her breathing evening out. 

"Y'know, Haz," Louis started, turning to grin at him. "I thought the exact same thing about a six-day-old baby I'd met when I was two."

Harry indulged him. "Yeah?"

"Yeah," Louis nodded, smiling fondly as he pressed his body impossibly closer to Harry's. "He'd always clutch my hand tightly, even as he grew up." He sighed happily,

"And he'd never once let me go." 

**Author's Note:**

> And that's it! Did you like it? Once again, I would like to apologise for any errors I have made throughout this fic :" I don't have a Beta reader / editor and I don't have a sharp eye for any mistakes I might have made oops. As always, kudos, comments and constructive criticism are always greatly appreciated <3 
> 
> Have a nice day and tpwk :D


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